Bethyl Week Prompts
by akiraflame-tumblr
Summary: It's Bethyl Week on Tumblr! I'm putting all of my stories based on the prompts in this one fic! Ratings may vary.
1. Chapter 1

**Bethyl Week Day 1 Prompt – Civil Wars's "**_**Poison and Wine" **_

Beth stared at the man on the other side of the fire from her, his eyes staring but not seeing the flames as they flickered in the darkness. He had been like this for the past week, ever since the prison fell, never speaking to her, only giving an occasional grunt if she was lucky. He kept his face in a surly scowl most days, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

He was hurting but he refused to acknowledge it and Beth had had enough of his surliness, his attempts at isolating himself from her. He was only surviving, they both were, and she couldn't stand it. Part of Beth wondered what the hunter would do if she hadn't escaped from the prison with him. Would he have even bothered staying alive by himself? He clearly didn't think their family had survived, his glance when she suggested tracking them down had told her that much. It seemed to be that he figured there was no purpose in anything now that they had to start all over.

He was just a shell of the man she had seen at the prison. Images of him smiling and laughing with Michonne and Rick, or playing with Judtih, the brightness in his eyes when he would come to Beth and help her with the infant flashed through Beth's mind and she swallowed thickly. She didn't cry anymore, she couldn't, not right now. Daryl needed her to help him through his grief. She could focus on hers after helping him with his.

The next day, Beth's frustration with the man led her words to become poison, biting into his cold exterior. Her flipping him off, making his arm twitch when surprise at her words and actions filtered into his eyes for the briefest of seconds.

"I'm gonna get a damn drink!" she had yelled before stomping off. Now she sat at the bar, crying, her hands fiddling with the bottle in front of her. She had tried so hard to find something to focus on in hopes of it pulling Daryl out of his survival mode while helping with her own loss, and now that she had achieved that goal, she couldn't think of what else to do. She didn't have a job to do, a purpose, and that made pushing her grief back harder.

Her mind thought back to Daryl's anger while killing the walkers in the other room and how she had slowly been seeing brief glances of the man from the prison in his eyes. Beth thought of the five stages of grief and compared them to the hunter as he grabbed the bottle of Peach Schnapps from in front of her and threw it to the ground.

He had gone through the isolation stage, shutting himself off from her and the world while staying in their "suck ass camp." Now he was in the anger stage. Beth jumped slightly as he kicked the door open and nodded with his head.

"Come on," and she nodded, following him as she sniffled and swallowed the rest of her grief.

She knew her purpose, her job now. To be the support Daryl needed to help him through this.

Frustration mounted in Beth as Daryl wrapped his arm around her angrily, turning her roughly and shooting the Walker again, playing with it while he yelled. This was not how she imagined their "Never Have I Ever" ending. She had hoped he would relax and she could ease him into opening up to her. She should have known better. This is Daryl Dixon she was dealing with.

Beth killed the walker, whipping around and turning her words back into poison, sinking them into the man in front of her. She had to fight down her tears as his words stung and cut her open but she was a Greene, she wouldn't back down. She yelled back, throwing his nonchalance to their situation in his face, forcing him to talk, to yell, to release everything. The guilt he felt slapped her though, and she stumbled in surprise at his thinking that everything was his fault because he gave up.

The bargaining stage.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, piecing him back together as he slammed into the Depression stage.

That night, their words were wine. Smoothing and easing each other as they discussed their pasts, their concerns, their pain.

_"I wish I could change…"_

_"You did."_

_"You got away from it."_

_"I didn't."_

_"You did!" _

They left everything dark about themselves in that house that night. Burned their darkness and their grief to the ground. Beth met Daryl's eyes in the moonlight and smiled. He returned the gesture, his eyes bright and hopeful. They could do this.

They could survive, no live, in this world, together.


	2. Chapter 2

Bethyl Day One Prompt – Secret

Daryl ran his hand through his hair in agitation. He could feel them staring at him, waiting for his words that wouldn't come out. He paced as anger at himself pumped through his veins. Part of him wanted to tell them never mind and leave, but the rest of him wouldn't do that. He _needed _them to know. For her. He refused to keep it a secret. _Someone _needed to know. He paused and turned to Rick and Maggie as they sat patiently waiting on him.

"I was with Beth," he mumbled. Maggie's eyes widened and they filled with tears. He could see her concern, the question of _where is she_ bouncing around in the older Greene's mind, but she didn't speak. She didn't want to interrupt the man now that he was finally speaking. Rick nodded, having known this already. "She was kidnapped. She got hurt so we stayed in this…funeral home…but I got complacent, _again_," he growled. "This dog came to the door and ran off. It later returned and I didn't look, I just opened the damn door. Let a whole damn horde of walkers in on us."

"I told Beth to run, I'd meet her at the road. When I got there…she was gone, a car speeding off. Someone _took _her." Daryl punched the wall before turning and continuing his pacing. "I can't keep it a secret anymore." His eyes met Rick and Maggie's and he swallowed heavily, the pain of losing Beth showing on his face.

"I…I've never…I don't know what it is…but I…" he looked away, clearing his throat. A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and he looked back to see Maggie standing beside him, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You love her," she stated. Daryl shrugged. He didn't know what it was he felt. He'd never felt this way for someone before. All he knew was that he felt an intense pain, loneliness, and emptiness without her. "Thank you for telling me what happened and showing me how you feel about her. She's okay, Daryl, I promise you that. She's a Greene. We _will_ find her."

Daryl gave himself no other choice but to believe the brunette.

"Oh, and Daryl," Maggie's voice cut through his thoughts and he turned to her. "Daddy would approve of you two and I do as well. When we find her, you better kiss her the first chance you get."


	3. Chapter 3

**Bethyl Week Day 3 – **Prompt word "Numb." Song – Trading Yesterday's _She is the Sunlight_

**A/N: **_This little fic ties takes place right after Merle has just been killed. I'm thinking that Beth and Daryl already have a close friendship, maybe the start to a romantic relationship but we'll see where the muse takes me._

"Rick," Beth's voice was soft in volume but her tone was heavy with emotions, which made the sheriff turn to face her in concern.

"Beth, what's wrong?" she looked away briefly, her eyes tearing slightly.

"It's Daryl," she answered and Rick's heart stopped. His mind instantly filled with concern for his brother who had left to stop Merle from delivering Michonne to The Governor a few hours ago. Michonne had returned, but not the hunter or his brother. "He just got back…but Merle…Daryl found him. He-he had to put him down…He was by himself, Rick, and he had to see his brother as one of those things and kill him…" her voice choked and she swallowed heavily and cleared her throat. "He didn't have a way to bring back his body, so he left him there. I want to go get him and bring him home. Merle deserves a proper burial. Daryl needs that too." Rick stared at the blonde in front of him before nodding and removing his gloves.

"I'll get the truck." Beth nodded and walked quietly beside Rick up to where their vehicles were parked. The two ran into Glenn along the way and, even though he hated Merle with a deep passion, he agreed to help them retrieve the man's body for Daryl. Beth looked around the outside of the prison in hopes of seeing the hunter somewhere but he was nowhere to be seen. Not that she blamed him. If she lost Maggie, she'd want to be left alone too.

The three of them climbed into the truck and drove down to the gate where Maggie shot them a confused look before opening to gate for them and closing it behind them. The drive was short and Beth tried to enjoy it since it was the first time she had left the prison walls (aside from their brief hiding in the forest during the Governor's attack) but her heart couldn't lift from its heavy place in her chest. The truck came to a stop behind a worn down barn with several feed stores around it. Beth climbed out after Glenn, her small pocket knife held tightly in her hand as she instantly began looking around for Merle's body. The three of them walked close enough to each other that they could help if one had a problem, but they were far enough away that they could scope out the various bodies that littered the ground. Beth gasped when her eyes found Merle's body and instantly Rick and Glenn were beside her, concern that the young Greene was in danger filling their bodies before their eyes took in the man laying dead on the grass.

Rick unfolded a blanket and laid it beside the body. Beth's eyes watered when she saw the beating the older Dixon had taken as well as the bullet wound in his heart and the multiple stab wounds to his head. She figured Daryl must have let some of his anguish out on his brother's body and had to force herself to blink tears out of her eyes before moving to help Glenn and Rick with the body. It took all three of them to move it on to the blanket and they made quick work of wrapping the older Dixon before heaving his body up off the ground. The three of them struggled under the dead weight of the body but eventually got it onto the tailgate of the truck. Beth climbed into the bed with Merle and Rick and Glenn climbed into the cab and returned to the prison, the three staying oddly quiet during this whole time. They parked the truck near the graves and Beth jumped down from the bed to go get shovels and gloves for them all. Her blue eyes fell on Daryl when she approached the door to the cell block where they kept the gardening equipment and she paused, deciding that he needed to know what they had done first.

"Daryl?" she approached him quietly, sitting down beside him, their arms and legs brushing as she did so. His eyes were bloodshot when they met hers and she gently grabbed his hand in hers, squeezing it. She didn't know what to say to comfort him. He gently squeezed her hand back, his eyes watering slightly before he blinked them fiercely. "Rick, Glenn, and I brought Merle home…" she told him softly, making his eyes shoot to hers. His eyes were unreadable but he swallowed heavily before nodding softly.

"I'm gonna get shovels…I'll let you know when we're done, kay?" her question was answered with a hand squeeze before he let go and went back to staring at the ground in front of him. Beth wasn't sure why she did it, she only knew that she wanted to, but she leaned forward and placed her lips to his temple softly before standing and retrieving the shovels and gloves.

Daryl watched her walk away with the shovels. His heart was broken…or maybe it was just heavy. To be honest, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that his chest had been hurting constantly since he had found Merle and a lump was permanently stuck in his throat. He felt like his lungs couldn't get enough air and his eyes burned to shed tears he couldn't release. He felt, deep under his grief, surprise at what Beth had said and done for his brother and him. Daryl would have had to been blind to not see that his brother hadn't been the most pleasant man to have in the prison and that everyone tolerated Merle because of him. He also knew that Beth took the treatment of her family very seriously and that the many fights the older Dixon had caused in their family had probably tainted her view of the man. Yet she still went and risked her, Rick's, and Glenn's life to bring the jackass home to bury.

Time ticked by and nobody attempted to talk with the hurting hunter. He was fine with that. He had become numb, his eyes seeing but not registering Beth and Rick digging across the yard from him. His body feeling the loss of his brother but his mind refusing to acknowledge it.

"Hey," Beth's voice interrupted his thoughts and his eyes moved to where she stood in front of him. Her hair was sticking to her forehead and sweat shined on her face and her arms, her jacket tied around her waist. A cool fall breeze blew through and she shivered slightly as it chilled her sweat covered skin. "We're done. Come on," she held her hand out for him and he took it, not really using it to pull himself up but needing the anchor she offered to return to the world. She smiled softly at him and intertwined their fingers together and they walked side by side to the graves. Daryl was surprised to see their prison family all gathered and waiting for him. They had hated Merle, he knew that, but there they were. For him. Beth squeezed his hand before letting go and walking to the tailgate of the pickup.

Daryl's brain registered his heartache at the sight of the blanket wrapped body and he moved slowly over to it, his hand going briefly to Merle's covered shoulder before he, Rick, and Beth carefully picked his body up and carried him to the grave, easing the older Dixon into the hole. Daryl's ears registered Hershel reading something from the Bible and he felt his eyes burning as tears forced their way to the surface and down his cheeks. He grabbed a shovel and began filling the grave with Rick's help as Hershel continued to read and their family watched. When the grave was done, Beth brought a cross over and Rick pushed it into the ground while the blonde moved back to Daryl's side, her hand finding his again and holding it tightly while he wept silently. Time ticked by and eventually it was just Beth and Daryl standing at the grave. Beth plucked a wildflower and laid it on top of the grave.

"He'd probably cuss about the flower, huh?" she asked and Daryl smiled softly knowing she was right.

"Prolly call us all pussies for this. 'Specially me, cryin' like some girl."

"I think he'd understand. He cared about you. If the roles were reversed, he'd be just as upset as you are about it." Daryl's eyes met Beth's for a moment and he squeezed her hand.

"Thank you…for doin' this for him."

"He was a good man. He tried to save us by stopping the Governor. The least we could do is give him the respect and proper burial he deserves. I'm sorry that I can't do more and I'm sorry I can't help ease your pain…" Beth's lips met Daryl's cheek and he felt his throat constrict from the gesture, a strange, but pleasant, feeling settling in his chest.

"I…I wish I could be numb again…" he muttered.

"The pain doesn't go away…you just make room for it. That's what Andrea told me back at the farm. It annoyed me at the time but…it's true." Daryl's eyes looked at their hands, still intertwined, before going back up to Beth's face, taking in the way the pale sunlight lit up her hair and her eyes. He felt his heart lighten slightly when she smiled softly at him.

The petite woman had helped him through so much of his anguish already. When he had returned to the prison after finding Merle, the world had seemed so dark to him. All he felt was the pain of his loss, anger at what had happened…Somehow, the petite blonde next to him had brightened his mood. She was like the sunlight to him at that moment. Warm and soothing in the cold world around them. He didn't know why she had done everything she had for him and his brother, but he vowed to make sure she knew he appreciated it, somehow. He vowed to protect her, to keep her faith and hope alive for as long as he possibly could.

Little did he know the terrible future they were facing. The death of one of the best men he'd ever known, the relationship the two would form over months of being alone together, the loss he would feel as he, once again, lost the most important person to him. As he lost that light in his life.

_She is the sunlight_

_And the sun is gone._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – Prompt is rated M for violence and death.**

**Bethyl Week – Day 2 –** **Red** –

Blue eyes adjusted to the darkness around them. He could see her shape, her form, so well hidden in the blackness of the room they were in.

His hands touched her arm, finger tips touching the smooth skin.

"You're beautiful," his voice whispered to her. She turned her head, away from him, and Daryl could finally see her face as a lantern was lit, casting a dim light about the room.

_Beth._ The man sitting next to her, touching her while she sat tied to a chair across the room from Daryl, was still partially clad in darkness but one look at the gag and the ropes around Beth's wrists and ankles set a fury so harsh, so like a wildfire that finds gasoline, through the hunter's blood that his vision went red.

The room they were being kept in was musty, dank, and filthy. Daryl had been searching for Beth when he had spotted the vehicle with the cross on its back windshield and followed it. Something had gone wrong, though. His head ached and he remembered getting jumped on, something colliding with the back of his head before he saw darkness. He was bound to a chair and gagged, like Beth. His eyes moved over what he could see of her and the wildfire of rage grew fiercer in his chest as he took in the rope burns on her wrists and the bruises on her arms. He would give her kidnappers credit for keeping her in good shape over the two weeks she had been missing, but his brain didn't want to think about that.

His vision was red as he pulled and fought the ropes as silently as he could. This wasn't his first time being in a tight spot like this, he had gotten quite apt at getting free from knots after Merle had dragged him into a situation like this one. He freed his hands and slowly maneuvered in the darkness to free his ankles and remove the gag from his mouth. Using his skills in stealth, Daryl moved quietly and easily to a table behind him where his crossbow and knife sat. He must not have been out long if they hadn't even bothered with putting his weapons somewhere else.

He gripped his knife tightly and turned, stalking to the man who was still whispering and touching Beth, who shook in her chair and struggled against the ropes. Her eyes showed the pain her struggles were causing her and Daryl gave up on his decision to sneak up on the man.

He moved quickly, grabbing the man and stabbing him repeatedly, growling out that the bastard should never have taken or touched Beth. The sound of Beth's muffled shout was the only thing that kept the hunter from continuing his punishment on the man. Daryl dropped the man's body and turned, quickly pulling the gag from Beth's mouth and cutting her free.

"Daryl," her voice was sweeter than he remembered, her arms encasing him the minute they were free. "I was so scared that you were dead when they dragged you in here."

"They're gonna wish I had been," he snarled. His hands held the blonde's chin as he inspected her, counting the bruises and scrapes he could see in the dim light. She sighed, a soft smile covering her face as she drank in his appearance. His fury was palpable, it shone in his eyes and in the tightness of his jaw. Part of Beth felt that she should try to calm the hunter, talk sense into him and convince him to just focus on escaping but she knew better. The intensity in his eyes, the devotion and affection and _relief_ for her that she could see in him told her that he would never let these men go. He wouldn't let them survive after taking her from him. She nodded, accepting his need for revenge but showing him her extreme dislike for it, and he turned, grabbing his crossbow and her hand before pulling her out of the room.

He moved quickly, going room to room, finding backpacks, weapons, and food and dealing with any of her kidnappers along the way. Beth stayed as far back as he would let her, which was only the doorway of the room. While she hated these men for taking her from the man she loved, she still struggled with the idea and sight of murdering them. Daryl seemed to understand her dilemma and allowed her the space to turn away but if she tried to go more than five feet away from him, his body would tense and she would see panic build in his face, as if her being more than five feet away from him would mean she vanished again.

When the last of the five men in the house had been dispatched, Daryl let out a deep breath. The wildfire that had raged through his body suddenly cooled as Beth slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together and squeezing it tightly. Relief washed through him as if he had jumped into a cool lake on a summer day and he turned, pulling her body into his and holding her close. She nestled her head into his chest, listening to the beating of his heart and soaking in the feel of him.

"You were right," his voice rumbled in her ear and she looked up at him. "About several things."

"Like what?" she asked, her voice was soft and her heart was hammering against her rib cage.

"Our family. They're all alive. Judith, Maggie, Rick, Carl…everyone." Tears filled Beth's eyes at his words, happiness filling her heart to the brim and overflowing. "And I missed you, so bad, when you were gone, Greene." Her arms tightened around his middle and she fought to keep from rising on to her tip-toes and kissing him. She loved him and she knew he cared deeply about her, but she knew he was not ready for that amount of intimacy yet. She settled on holding him tightly, feeling him return the gesture before letting her step out and take his hand again.

"Take me home, to our family. To you. I'll never leave you again." She told him and she saw the understanding cross his features, slipping his hand back to hers and lacing his fingers around hers again before walking with her out of the run down house and in the direction of their family.

They were together again and this time, nothing would separate them.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Some slight sexy times. I'm terrible at smut so it's nothing great…**

**Bethyl Week – Day 2 –** **Counting Stars** –

His hands ghosted over her skin, feeling the smoothness and heat under his calloused fingers.

"How did I manage to snag a woman like you, Beth?" he murmured against her stomach and her hands found his hair, tugging on it lightly to pull his attention to her eyes. She licked her lips and he instantly found himself moving up her body and kissing her. Her left hand played with the hair on his neck and he could feel the coolness of her rings, the same rings he had worked almost two years to pay for and had begged her father to permit him to put on her hand, against his skin. "You're stuck with me now, Mrs. Dixon," he growled out and she giggled.

"I can't imagine being with anyone else, _Mr. _Dixon. I love _you_." He let out a groan as she ran her hands down from his hair, over his open suit jacket and button up dress shirt, down his stomach to his dress pants, unfastening the button and easing the zipper down. "It's almost a shame to take you out of these clothes…you look so delicious in them…but I need you, Husband of mine." Daryl let out a growl as he kissed her hungrily before kissing down her neck, his hands roaming her naked body, his own wedding band glinting in the light. Her hands pushed his jacket and shirt off of him and he shook it off, throwing it to join her gorgeous wedding dress on the floor.

"I almost didn't want to take your dress offa you," he admitted into her skin. "So damn gorgeous. My wife. Beth Dixon…I'll never tire of hearing it." Daryl was drowning. Drowning in happiness and love. Drowning in the sight, feel, smell, and sounds of Beth Dixon, his new wife as of a couple hours ago. He felt like he was flying, his life finally settling into one he never knew he wanted. "I love you, I love you, I love you." He chanted between kisses and he moved down her body. She gasped as he nipped lightly on her flesh.

"I love you more than there are stars in the sky…" she moaned out.

"Should I start counting them?" he teased, glancing at the window and moving to get off of her. Her hands pulled him back to her.

"Don't you dare leave me." He chuckled as her hands pushed the last of his clothing off his body.

"I wouldn't dream of it."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – This prompt was hard…I'm not too fond of the ending result but whatever…here ya go.**

**Bethyl Week – Day 4 –** **Enchanted** –

Blue eyes watched her from across the Prison yard, her blonde hair shining brightly in the sunlight, her arms oddly empty of the baby they almost always carried. Daryl sighed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead before turning in frustration to the walkers that were trying to get him through the fence. He needed to focus. He lifted the pipe and slammed it through the gap in the fence and into a walker's brain, pulling it out easily and moving to the next one.

"Mind if I talk to you while you work, son?" Hershel's voice suddenly asked from behind him. Daryl turned and squinted through the sunlight at the older man who stood on the other side of the fence next to the row of peas and gave a brief nod before turning back to the fence and stabbing another walker.

"I've noticed how close you've become to my daughter, to Beth," Hershel said and Daryl stumbled slightly as he pulled the pipe back through the fence, caught surprised by the bluntness of the topic. "I've seen the way you watch her. I know the look on your face," Hershel chuckled, "that look was on my face with both of my wives…" Daryl turned and stared at the older man, a clenching in his gut making speech near impossible for the already quiet hunter. He cleared his throat and nodded slightly at Hershel, making the older man smile.

"I thought so. You should talk to her about it," the older man had a knowing look in his eye and Daryl felt confusion at the look.

"I…" he looked away, discomfort making his body tense. "I can't. It ain't right." Hershel looked at the hot and tired hunter in front of him, his eyes searching Daryl's face.

"What are you worried about, son?" Daryl shrugged and Hershel frowned. "If it's the age difference, you should know that that doesn't bother anyone here, especially not her or me. I was much older than her mother when we married." Daryl shifted his weight slightly and Hershel could see some of the tension leave the man's shoulders.

"She deserves better," Daryl mumbled but he knew Hershel heard it despite its soft volume.

"I can't think of anyone better for my daughter then you, Daryl." Hershel told him honestly and Daryl's eyes widened slightly in surprise, his eyes searching the older man for any sign of teasing or joking. The seriousness in Hershel's face giving the hunter the answer he needed. "Think of everything you do for us, for her. You bring in food and supplies, you keep the fence up and the walkers out and I know about how you helped Beth find and repair the necklace her mother gave her." Daryl felt his cheeks warm, his eyes going to his feet. His eyes flitted to the blonde and even from this distance, he could see her hand holding the leather-strung necklace around her neck. He could even see her smile as she looked across the yard to where he and her father stood. He felt enchanted, her beauty startling him.

"My point is son, I know you'll do everything in your control to keep her safe," Hershel summarized, pulling Daryl's attention back to him. "You should talk to her, you'll find it easier after you do." Daryl sighed.

"I ain't good with words. I don't even know what this is…" Hershel nodded at his words before turning and walking away without another word, leaving the hunter frustrated and slightly baffled at the older man's actions. Daryl forced himself to return to killing the walkers on the fence, his mind wandering to the petite blonde and the odd fluttering and clenching he felt in his chest and stomach. Some time passed before the soft crunch of footsteps pulled the hunter from his thoughts. He turned and felt his body tense at the sight of Beth approaching him with a crowbar in her dainty hands.

"Daddy said you might want some help so I thought I'd come and relieve some tension. That okay with you?" she asked as he stared at her, his eyes taking in her exposed arms from her tank top and the leather cord hanging around her neck and disappearing into the top of her shirt and her hair was in its usual ponytail. He nodded before turning back and killing a walker, putting more force into the action then needed. He felt nervous, on edge, as the blonde walked by him and started on another part of the fence a couple of feet away. Normally, the two would chat or work in comfortable silence, their friendship strengthened over their time in the prison. Today's silence was heavy, uncomfortable and not just for the hunter. He could see a tension in the blonde's shoulders as she stabbed a walker.

"You…okay?" he asked her and she turned, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she thought about what she was going to say. A sudden breeze picked up and Daryl could see it in slow motion, her hair blowing just right into the fencing as a walker's fingers grabbed the chain links and a handful of her hair, pulling it in attempts to reach her. The pull jerked Beth's head back, her body stumbling backwards into the fence as more walkers crowded the area, fingers and hands trying to grab more of her. Daryl moved quickly, his knife out and cutting her hair free, his free hand pushing her away from the fence and he drove his knife into the walker's skull. He whipped around, his eyes dancing across her exposed skin, looking for a scratch or injury. Beth trembled slightly but shook her head at his concern and unvoiced question. A breath escaped him and he nodded, relief flooding his body. His panic and adrenalin quickly changed to one of anger.

"Go ahead, yell at me," she told him. Her words washed over him and he shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He stepped closer to the blonde, his hand lifting to her but freezing before coming in contact with her arm. She stepped closer, her hand hesitantly reaching for his, giving him a chance to pull back. When he didn't, she laced their fingers together, pressing her palm to his as she stepped closer to him, their bodies nearly touching. Slowly she rose, her eyes searching his for any sign of discomfort, but he oddly didn't feel any. He was curious, confused, about what she was doing. His confusion alleviated some when her eyes settled on his lips and he swallowed heavily. Her lips made contact with the corner of his mouth, almost more on his cheek then his lips, and she lowered herself down, stepping back but not letting go of his hand.

His thoughts had screeched to a halt and he thought for sure his lungs and heart had stopped working as he searched her face for any clue of what she was thinking. Her eyes told him everything. Appreciation, trust, _affection_, all for him. The hunter broke her gaze, his eyes drifting to their hands before moving back to hers as he gave her hand a slight squeeze. Her smile brightened as she returned the gesture before dropping his hand and bending to pick up her crowbar, his eyes following her movements. He felt his lips quirk into a small grin when he met her gaze again. The blonde had gotten good at reading him, at understanding his body language and signs during their friendship, he knew that. He also could tell that she had caught on to his confusing feelings and he felt relief that he didn't have to actually try and find the words to explain them to her.

In fact, he hoped she could help him to determine what he was feeling and if she could help him find the words to explain it himself. Daryl sighed, hoping on one hand that Beth knew it would take him a while to get to that point with her but already knowing on the other that she would ease him into this…new relationship. His eyes moved to the blonde again and he felt his heart clench, a feeling joy filling his body.

Whatever he was feeling for her, it was good. He felt like he had gotten his first breath of air when he was around her. The world seemed better, more hopeful to him when he was around her. He was certain she had enchanted him and his views of the world and he was okay with it. He was comfortable and he was happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bethyl Week Day 5 – Dream**

"Daryl, I can't breathe," a soft melodic voice broke through Daryl's dream and he snapped awake, his eyes meeting Beth's amused bright blue eyes. His arm was wrapped tightly around her, holding her to his body while they had slept. He eased his grip slightly but didn't let her go. "Bad dream?" she asked him with a concerned look on her face. He shook his head, remembering vividly how the dream had consisted of the woman in front of him. Daryl smiled as he rolled them slightly, his body covering hers and her laughter rang out in the quiet room. God, he loved her laugh.

Her hands moved to his shoulders, wrapping around to the back of his neck and he lowered his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of her, his heart lifting in happiness. Her grip on the back of his neck suddenly turned painful, her grip trying to pull him down and he opened his eyes in shock and pain as her nails dug into his skin painfully. Before his eyes, Beth's body began decomposing, her eyes greyish as her jaw moved to bite him.

"_It's your fault," _her voice changed as she said it, becoming an echo as the room darkened around him. "_You let me get taken. You let me die."_ Daryl pulled free of Beth's grip and he stumbled backwards, sobs rising in his throat, his eyes burning.

"No, I tried, Beth, I tried!" His voice cracked and sobs shook his body as he watched Beth morph further into a decomposing walker, her body shuffling towards his. "I tried, I ran for days! Please, Beth…" Daryl walked further from Beth as she stumbled to grab him. "You're alive, Beth. I'm gonna find you, I swear. I won't lose you!" The walker in front of him stopped and the room slowly began to brighten, her skin and eyes returning to their natural, living hues.

"_Find me, Daryl."_

Daryl's eyes shot open, his eyes moving to look at the space in his arms, hoping beyond hope that Beth would be there, but his arms were empty. He let out a pained sigh as he heard Joe and his men beginning to rise and move around the garage. He needed to get away from these guys.

He needed to find Beth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Bethyl Week Day 5 – Wonder**

Beth let out a sad, tired sigh. Judith had barely slept in the past three days, waking the blonde at all hours of the day, only permitting her thirty minutes to an hour's rest at a time. The poor infant had developed an ear infection and she let the blonde know it. Beth hated when she got this tired. Her brain would start feeling bad about herself, telling her terrible things about herself when she was this tired. Her eyes burned as she grabbed a bowl of deer meat and rice from Carol, her mind telling her that she needed to step up more around the prison. She should help cook or clean more often. She should help with fence duty. She let out another sigh and shook her head, trying to force the thoughts out of her head and to help wake herself up.

The blonde took her bowl out of the shaded eating area and walked to a secluded corner where no one could watch her. Rick was feeding Judith so that Beth could eat and take a break from the fussy baby and she fully intended to take the time to enjoy some silence. Beth settled herself down on the hard ground and leaned against the wall of the prison. Whenever she didn't have Judith in her arms, she was invisible to the people in the prison, so she knew she wouldn't be missed from the lunch. She had just taken her first bite when the sound of footsteps on the gravel approached her corner and her eyes looked up to meet Daryl's. He paused slightly in his steps, his eyes taking in her exhausted and disheveled appearance.

"Hey," she greeted and he nodded in return, his eyes never leaving her face. "You okay?" she asked and he quirked a brow at her, his lips lifting slightly in amusement.

"You're the exhausted one and you're asking if I'm okay?" Beth smiled slightly, turning to focus back on her food. "Want me to leave ya?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I can go, I know you need the silence too." The blonde began to push herself but his hand stopped her. He slid down the wall to sit a few feet away and began eating his lunch in silence. Beth watched him for a minute before smiling and resuming her lunch as well. She fought to stifle numerous yawns while they ate and she swore she could see Daryl smirk more with each attempt.

"What's so funny?" she finally asked, her exhaustion only fueling her annoyance with the man.

"Why don't you go take a nap, I can sit with Lil Ass Kicker for a while. Don't got anything else to do." The blonde frowned, her brain's annoying negative comments rushing through her brain.

"We all got jobs to do, Daryl. Mine is taking care of Judith," she told him, her voice heavier than she had planned. Daryl's head whipped to look at her so quickly, she was worried he might have given himself whiplash.

"That ain't your only job here, Beth," he told her in his gruff voice. She snorted before she could stop herself and she saw his frown deepen.

"I'm…I'm just tired, Daryl, and when I'm tired, I think…things. I'm fine, I just need sleep." He stared at her for a moment before looking at the trees outside the fence.

"People always told me that what a drunk says when they're drunk, is what they're thinking when they're sober," he told her and she quirked her head in confusion. "Maybe you thinkin these things tired is the same thing…and I'm tellin' you, that those thoughts ain't true. You've got a bigger job here than any of us." Beth shook her head at him.

"You bring home food, you go out for supplies, you keep those fences standing…You're the one with the bigger job. I'm just…the baby sitter. I love Judith and the kids, I love taking care of them…but it's not enough. It doesn't feed us or protect us." Daryl grunted and Beth could see his frustration with her in his face. She sighed and mumbled an apology that he shrugged off.

"When I came back from that run with that deep cut that needed stitchin, who did it?" his voice was deeper than normal when he asked the question and Beth turned to look at him. His eyes met hers and held them, making a weird tight feeling appear in her stomach. "Who followed me around and nagged at me about keeping the stitches clean and made me take it easy to keep from ripping the stitches?" Beth could feel her face warming as she remembered how she had harassed him and followed him around with Judith in her arms, keeping him from straining the injury until it had healed.

"You take care of our injuries and our health as much as your old man. You help with the cooking and cleaning when Judith is down nappin' or you keep her playing nearby while you help. You've helped clear the fence when Judith is down or is with Carl. That brain a yours forgets all you do around here, Beth. Need I go on?" Beth realized that her mouth was open in shock and she snapped it shut. She didn't realize that the hunter had paid that much attention to her. She could see his cheeks pink slightly as he realized how much he had shared with her and that confirmed her suspicions.

"I…I didn't realize anyone paid attention to that…" she murmured and he gave her a confused glance. "Everyone's just busy…being busy, ya know? They're focusing on surviving. I didn't think anyone paid any attention to anything outside of that…" Daryl snorted and he shook his head.

"I do." Beth felt her cheeks warm again and she smiled shyly, a gesture she noticed the man returned slightly. She leaned her head back against the wall of the building, the negative voice in her head silent as Daryl's words replayed in her mind. She hoped that her being a negative nelly wouldn't chase him off from future conversations. She wondered if he would be willing to spend more time with her, whether it was in silence or talking didn't matter to her. She just wanted to spend more time with the hunter, hear more of his thoughts and stories.

The blonde missed the look Daryl gave her, his eyes hovering over her exhausted face and the smile quirking his lips. He hoped to be able to have more talks with the blonde in the future.

* * *

Over the course of several months, the two would become fast friends as Beth cared for the stubborn hunter when he was injured, or when he refused to stop working to eat, or the one time he caught a cold from baby Judith. Their hearts soared to new heights with each conversation, their thoughts consumed by the other.

"You'll be careful, won't you?" Beth asked through the door as she bounced Judith. She could hear Daryl's feet shuffle slightly on the other side of the door.

"Yeah. Got somethin' to come home to now," his gruff voice answered and Beth felt her throat tighten at the words. She put her hand on the glass of the door, knowing Daryl could see it from his side of the door. A shadow lifted and placed itself on the other side of the door. "Don't you go getting' sick while I'm gone."

"Don't you go die while you're gone," she responded. His finger tapped the glass twice before he turned away from the door. Beth sighed and bounced Judith.

"He'll come home, Judith. He'll be okay, for us."

"For you," his voice mumbled and she smiled at his shape through the glass as it became fuzzier before it disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This story is sort of like a prequel to my Day 2 prompt – Counting Stars**

**Bethyl Week Day 6 – Memory**

Daryl's hands shook as he buttoned his white dress shirt up and tucked it into his black dress pants. He looked across the room and met Rick's knowing smirk.

"Shut up," he told the sheriff, who raised his hands in surrender but laughed anyways.

"Consider a rite of passage for a man to get shaky and nervous right before his wedding. I was so nervous, I nearly dropped Lori's ring on our wedding day." Daryl nodded and glanced at himself in the mirror. He felt ridiculous in the formal clothes but he didn't look half bad in them. Rick handed him his suit jacket and he slid it on, his eyes wistfully going to his leather vest. Beth loved that vest, wore it almost as often as he did. He wondered if she'd be okay with him wearing it under his suit jacket for their wedding. He decided against it and nodded to Rick, leading the way out of the room to greet the Greene family and the few guests they had coming to their wedding.

Their guests were mostly friends as Daryl had no real family to invite with Merle being in prison again and his abusive old man being a definitive "hell no" when Beth had asked. He hugged Glenn and Maggie and shook Hershel's hand when he met up with them in the hall to the chapel of the church Hershel had wanted them to get married in. Maggie gushed about how gorgeous Beth looked in her dress and Daryl couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face as he tried to imagine his soon-to-be wife in her dress.

Lori approached the group with Carl and Judith, who had just started walking and tried running everywhere. Daryl swooped the toddler up into his arms before she tripped and fell and she giggled loudly. Lori pressed a kiss to Daryl's cheek as she congratulated him on his big day and "finally settling down." He gave Carl a fist bump when the teenager walked close enough before handing a squirming Judith off to her brother.

One-by-one he greeted and shook hands with his family of friends. It was a blur of happiness for the hunter who had never thought he would be in a church getting married before he had met the blonde Greene daughter at Hershel's vet clinic when his dog had gotten sick all those years ago.

"You ready, son?" Hershel asked Daryl, his hand landing on his shoulder and Daryl faced the older man. His nerves had been replaced with excitement, he was beyond ready to make Beth Greene, Beth Dixon. The hunter nodded and smiled.

"I'm ready." Hershel smiled and squeezed his shoulder, tears of happiness forming in his eyes as he walked off to see his daughter. Daryl turned and walked into the chapel with Rick behind him and they stood side by side at the altar. It felt like forever, the time they stood waiting before the music began playing and the chapel doors opened to reveal Maggie. The older Greene sister smiled happily at Daryl and he returned a small grin, his eyes meeting hers before going to the vision in white that stood beside Hershel in the door way.

Daryl could feel his jaw go slack as his eyes drank in his wife in her wedding dress as she slowly walked up the aisle with Hershel. The sweetheart neckline of her lace and bead covered dress hugged her curves before flaring out at her hips and trailing behind her. Her long blonde hair was curled down her back and the yellow roses in her bouquet made her into a stunning angel walking towards him.

Never had Daryl felt more unworthy of the woman walking towards him as he did at that moment. He didn't know what he had done to deserve her love but he had vowed every day since their first kiss that he would work hard to continue to earn it.

Hershel gave his daughter away to Daryl and the two stared at each other in silence, their eyes bright and full of love for each other. A throat clearing beside them pulled the couple from their thoughts and they both turned, embarrassed, to face the preacher.

Their vows were simple but heartfelt and Daryl could hear many sniffles and chuckles from their friends and family as they slipped the rings on each other's fingers.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Daryl, you may kiss your bride."

Daryl grinned at Beth, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her to him as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her smile bright and infectious.

"I love you, Mrs. Dixon," he told her softly before claiming her lips with his. Cat calls and cheers echoed around them and Maggie and Rick pulled the strings on confetti poppers, showering the couple in strings of confetti as they kissed.

"This is the best damn day of my life, Beth." He told her honestly and he knew that he would cherish the memory of seeing her in her dress for the first time, of them saying their vows, and of their first kiss as husband and wife for the rest of his life.

He would eventually add even better memories to that list.

The memory of Beth announcing her pregnancy.

The birth of their first child, their son, and eventually the birth of their second child, their daughter.

A lifetime of memories with the woman he loved by his side and he couldn't think of a better way to live.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: THIS IS A COMBO BETHYL WEEK/TUMBLR PROMPT. The prompt was: **can you PLEASE write a one shot of a bethyl first kiss? I think it would be a quiet moment when they've just been reunited(idk they're 2nd night back together?)and beth would initiate it, of course. I think daryl would be kind of timid but wouldn't pull away and beth would reassure him and go in for another one. this time a bit more enthusiastic and then daryl would be totally into in and it'd be passionate, but not like a hot makeout sesh. I have it pictured I just need it in writing ja feel

* * *

Daryl took another drag on his cigarette, grateful for the feeling it gave his body after not having one for so long. His eyes moved back to the camp to his right. It seemed he couldn't keep his eyes off the area ever since she had been found. Beth. His heart lifted at the memory of seeing her face for the first time the day before. The joy in his heart warred with the rage he still felt when he saw the cut on her cheek and the brace on her wrist. He glanced down to his cigarette and gave it one last pull before snubbing it on a rock.

Movement from one of the tents pulled Daryl's eyes and thoughts to the slowly moving zipper. Beth's blonde head popped out of the tent and she glanced around, her eyes meeting his and her smile lighting up her face in the diminishing firelight. She stepped out of the tent she was sharing with Michonne and quietly zipped it back up before turning and walking quickly to the tree the hunter was sitting under.

"Hey," she greeted as her boots toed his before she turned and sat beside him. He grunted in return, nudging her with his elbow and giving her a smirk when she chuckled. "Can't sleep?" she asked after a moment of quiet nudging and poking.

"Nah, decided to let Rick spend more time with Judith," he replied softly, his eyes taking in her soft smile and facial features. Beth seemed to have aged during their time apart, not that he had any room to comment on it, he knew he had grown more gray hairs in his goatee and he was sure he looked uglier than sin now. Beth's apparent aging had made her look fiercer, angrier, and more prepared to survive to the hunter. He found her beautiful. He had always found the blonde beautiful but now that beauty seemed more corporeal than it used to. She seemed to have grown into herself, as weird and cliché as that probably sounded. The man blew out a sigh and he could feel the blonde watching him.

"I'm glad everyone made it, I knew they would," she told him softly and he nodded.

"Glad you aren't tellin' me 'I told you so, Dixon,'" he told her, his lips quirking in return to the sly grin she gave him.

"I hadn't thought about doing that but I think I will now, just because he told me that." She leaned toward him, her blue eyes sparkling in mischief and happiness. "I told you so, Mr. Dixon," she teased and he found himself chuckling in response. The chuckle died in his throat when her face turned serious and she bit her lip. A nervous, almost scared look crossed her face and Daryl found himself wondering if she was thinking back to where she had been kept over their time apart.

The blonde hadn't really told anyone what had happened or who she had been with while she had been separated from him. The hunter only knew bits and pieces that he would overhear her mumbling to herself. Something about "the Greater Good."

"Did you think that of me, after I was taken?" her voice cut through his thoughts and he met her eyes briefly before looking back out to the trees around them. He didn't need her to expand on her question. He knew what she was asking. _Had he thought of her as a dead after she was taken?_ Her question made him uncomfortable and not because he had thought she was dead but because he _hadn't_. He had known somewhere deep in himself that she was not dead. His deepest fear had been that he wouldn't ever be able to find her again.

"I saw Maggie's signs," she told him and he could hear the disappointment and heartbreak in her voice. "The ones telling Glenn to go to Terminus. I know why she didn't put my name in the signs too. She thought I hadn't made it and maybe she would have been right, if I hadn't had you." Daryl scoffed and Beth scowled at him. "It's true! You don't know what you do to me, Daryl." Daryl's heart stopped for a moment and he stared at her with wide eyes. A soft blush was visible on her cheeks in the fading firelight and she looked at the grass by her feet.

"You made me into a fighter, a survivor, but Maggie didn't know that." She continued, as if her outburst a moment before hadn't happened. "I….I need to hear what you thought about me being taken…" Daryl cleared his throat and looked at the ground between their feet as silence fell between them. He glanced at the blonde from under his bangs and shook his head.

"No, I never thought you were dead," he admitted. He could see the immediate reaction of his words on the blonde. Her face smoothed, her shoulders relaxed, and the air around her became lighter and he realized that she had needed to hear that he had had faith in her abilities, in her. Seeing Maggie's note and realizing that her sister had assumed her dead had obviously put the blonde in a funk. A funk he had just lifted. "I was scared. Scared I'd never be able to find or see ya again."

Her blue eyes met his and she smiled softly, her hand moving to lay over his on top of his crossbow and squeezing it slightly.

"Daryl Dixon doesn't get scared," she joked but it fell flat as he stared at her. Her eyes searched his and he wondered what secrets she would be able to pull from them. Would she be able to see how much he cared for her?

"Yeah, I do," he whispered. "You don't know what you do to me," he repeated her words from earlier, his heart in his throat as the words tumbled out, his body shifting in discomfort. Beth nodded, her small smile gracing her lips again and Daryl found his eyes falling to it before raising them back to her eyes. Her eyes were focused on his lips and he felt his stomach knot in nerves.

"While I was…gone…you were like the northern wind, I could imagine what you would do and did them. That's what kept me alive. There's one thing I imagine you doing but I know it won't happen…" Daryl felt confusion fill him as her words tumbled through his brain. "I learned something important over my time apart. You need to tell people what you want to say, you never know when they'll be gone."

"I know you're not one for words and this time…I won't be either. I need to do something before I lose the courage or something happens," Beth turned her body to face him more directly and Daryl stared at her in confusion as she leaned in closer to him. Her face neared his and the hunter found himself bewildered. Was she about to do what he thought she was going to do? With him? Out of everyone they knew, she was about to kiss him? No, that couldn't be…

Beth's eyes closed and her lips met his softly, chastely, instantly stopping his thoughts in their track. The blonde leaned back slightly, her eyes still closed as a sigh ghosted from her lips and across his as his eyes searched her face for any sign of regret. Her face was calm, happy, relaxed, and her eyes fluttered open to meet his for a brief moment as she nodded slightly before closing as she leaned in again. Her little nod told Daryl everything he needed and wanted to know and his eyes closed, his lips meeting hers halfway as his hands lifted and placed themselves on each side of her head, his fingers curling into her hair as their lips met with sighs and groans coming from both people.

A strange sensation of fluttering lifted through Daryl's stomach and into his chest and he found his lips smiling against the blonde's, whose own lips returned the movement as her hands moved to his hair. This kiss was passionate. Daryl had kissed women before, long before the end of the world, but _none_ of those kissed compared to this one with Beth Greene. Her lips were soft and addicting against his own and he found his thoughts whirling on nothing but the feel of Beth.

Part of the hunter wanted to continue, push this kiss to the next level, push their bodies together and show the blonde just _how much _he cared for her but the rest of him couldn't, _wouldn't_, do that. Not yet. He wanted to explore and learn more about…_this_, whatever it was he was feeling and they were becoming, and he respected and perhaps loved the youngest Greene girl too much for that. He curled his fingers into her hair more, gripping the strands slightly before slowly leaning back away from the soft lips of the blonde. Beth tried to follow his lips with hers, her fingers attempted to pull his head back to hers and he chuckled slightly, pecking her lips again before leaning further away from her and smoothing her hair with his hands.

The couple took shaky breaths before meeting the other's eyes, Beth nodding her understanding at the unspoken reason he had for stopping and he grinned slightly, his hands moving from her hair to her cheeks and down to her fingers before returning to his crossbow as he glanced around again, remembering that he was supposed to be on watch and not kissing the beautiful woman in front of him.

A throat cleared from the camp and Daryl's head whipped to face their guest so quickly that a crick formed in his neck and he winced in pain. Rick gave the couple a knowing smirk before nodding his head to the tents. Daryl nodded and stood, his eyes staying focused on the ground to keep from meeting the teasing look he knew Rick was giving him. Beth moved quietly, her cheeks a pretty pink as she walked beside the embarrassed hunter, her hand grabbing his nervously and squeezing it.

Daryl gave her hand a squeeze back before letting it go and holding her tent's flap open for her. She smiled and entered her tent, turning to face him.

"Good night, Daryl," she whispered. Daryl leaned in, pecking her lips again before moving away and going to his own tent with a smile on his face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Bethyl Week Day 7 – Something I Need part one**

Daryl stared at the beautiful, pale face in front of him. Her face was relaxed, peaceful, and Daryl felt a smile cover his lips. His hands moved through the soft, blonde hair and he cursed when they left red streaks in their wake, marring the beautiful tresses. He looked around for some water and sighed when there wasn't any close enough. He knew he had some in the bag outside but he didn't want to risk moving her off his lap to go get it.

The hunter's eyes moved over Beth's face and neck and stopped at the v of her red shirt. His eyes burned and he choked on his breath as it struggled to push through the lump in his throat.

"Beth…" he sobbed out as his eyes continued to stare at the deep redness of her shirt, the image of it blurring.

It used to be white.

"Beth, it's just us…you need to…to wake up….come back," his words died in his throat as his hand found her neck and felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

"Beth, I love you….I _love _you. You're something I _need_….please…don't leave me…."

The blonde's body gave a jerk and Daryl felt his heart shatter as a soft groan escaped the pale, bloodless, chapped lips of the woman he loved. Her blue eyes opened slowly and he could see the color had changed. Her beautiful blue eyes, the ones that told him how much she loved him, the ones that teased him, flared in anger at him, were bloodshot and gray. Her hand rose and grabbed his shoulder, loosely at first, then painfully tight as she tried to pull him to her.

Her mouth opened and gasps and groans poured forth from her while he sat there, shaking with sobs as she pulled at him. He had failed her. Again.

His first failure was letting her be taken….

This last one, had cost her her life.

Daryl gave in then, because this was the woman he loved and he would never be able to love another, because this woman was the one thing he needed in his life and he had lost her completely, and let her pull him down to her, his arms wrapping around her cold body tightly as she lowered her teeth to his skin….


	12. Chapter 12

**Bethyl Week Day 7 – Something I Need, part two**

_Daryl gave in then, because this was the woman he loved and he would never be able to love another, because this woman was the one thing he needed in his life and he had lost her completely, and let her pull him down to her, his arms wrapping around her cold body tightly as she lowered her teeth to his skin…._

"Daryl!" A scream tore through the night and the hunter shot off his bed, his heart racing in his chest and sweat covering his skin as his eyes searched frantically around the room for the blonde or a walker. His heart thudded heavily against his ribs and he grabbed his crossbow and threw the door to his room open, the crossbow up and ready as he walked briskly through the small hallway.

A small cry rose in volume and Daryl's heart stopped when his ears registered the cries of his young daughter. The man ran the rest of the way down the hallway and turned at the top of the stairs, his eyes registering the shapes of his daughter and wife at the bottom of the steps. His four-year-old daughter looked up at him, tears rolling down her face and she sobbed out a "Daddy" as she cradled her right arm against her. Beth looked up from where she was squatted beside the small brunette child, her eyes brimming with tears and heartache for their child. Daryl took the stairs down two at a time before stopping and kneeling in front of the small child.

"What happened, Princess?" he gently wiped her tears off her cheeks as he inspected what he could see of the girl's arm and wrist. "Can you move it?" he asked, having a sense of déjà vu at asking the question. His daughter cried out as she tried to rotate her wrist and he instantly stopped her.

"I think it's broken," Beth whispered softly beside him and he nodded, agreeing with his wife's assessment. "I'll go get the doc." The blonde moved to stand, her hand resting on her swelling stomach and Daryl moved to help her.

"I'll go, you stay here," he told her as he bent down to pick up their daughter to move her to the couch. "I'll be right back, okay, Princess?" He wiped more of her tears off her cheeks before kissing her forehead and walking the short distance to Beth and his crossbow. Beth gently grabbed his arm, her eyes searching his in concern.

"When Skyla's better, I want you to explain why you were yelling a few minutes ago," the blonde ordered and Daryl nodded, his lips meeting Beth's chastely, his hand going to her baby bump before he picked up his crossbow and left.

Beth heaved a sigh as her eyes took in the sight of Daryl gently placing their daughter in her bed and tucking her in, being extra careful around the new, bright green cast that was now wrapped around the sleeping child's wrist.

"I think tonight has been the most terrifying night of my life," the blonde told the hunter when he approached her after kissing their sleeping daughter goodnight. He made sure the curtains were pulled tightly closed against the early morning sunlight before guiding Beth back to their room.

"What happened?" he asked as he toed off his boots and hung his leather vest on the back of a chair in the corner of their room. Beth let out a huff of breath as she sat on the bed and kicked off her own shoes. Her eyes moved to the window where streams of sunlight could be seen through the crack of their curtains, her hand absently rubbing her stomach.

"Our son wouldn't let me sleep, wanted some beef jerky apparently," she started and Daryl smirked, taking the few steps to stand in front of Beth before kneeling in front of her and pressing a kiss to her covered belly. "While I was down in the kitchen feeding our son, Skyla called down saying you were mumbling in your sleep and that nothing she did could wake you. I guess she had come in to join us here in our bed after I went downstairs…anyways, as I was rounding the corner of the kitchen to come and check on you and get her back to bed and she just…tripped…" Beth's eyes watered and she let out a soft sob. "I couldn't stop my own baby from getting hurt, Daryl…"

"Accidents happen, Babe," he told her softly, even though guilt ate away at him too. The image of his injured and crying daughter lying at the bottom of the stairs would forever be burned into his brain. The couple sat there for a while, Beth's tears slowly fading away as she laid her head on Daryl's shoulder.

"Our son is making me so hormonal," she mumbled into his shirt and Daryl couldn't stop the grin from forming on his lips as he gently pushed Beth back enough for him to kiss her lips. "Were you having a nightmare?" she asked after a moment and he sighed, nodding slightly. "Wanna tell me about it?" Daryl stared at Beth's expanding stomach and shrugged.

"You died," he told her simply. When she tilted her head at him he continued, scrubbing his hands through his hair and down his face, "was my fault. You got shot and died…I realized I couldn't live without you and let you turn and bite me…" Beth's hand squeezed his bicep almost painfully and he met her eyes.

"I won't _ever _leave you," she told him and he nodded. "You gotta promise me something, though, Daryl. If that should ever happen, you don't give up. You don't leave our babies without a parent. You understand me?" her voice was tight and Daryl shook his head, making her grip tighten more. "You _don't _leave them orphans, Daryl. Not if it's something you can control."

"Beth, I…"

"No, Daryl Dixon, swear it."

"Beth, I swear but, babe, you can't ever leave me."

"I won't. I will never leave you again." She had said those words to him so many times over the past five or six years they had been together after she had found her way back to him and Daryl knew she would have to say it many more times in their remaining years together.

"You're something I need," he told her softly before kissing her and moving to lay with her on their bed.

"If we only live once," she said, continuing part of their wedding vows and he smiled before kissing her again.

"I wanna live with you."


End file.
